Candlelight
by Yami Nocturna
Summary: When Aya-chan awoke, Ran was the only one who believed, that she heard a voice wishing for everything to be alright. And when the owner of the voice buys a bouquet in their shop, Ran promises to protect her. Even if his comrades think he is crazy.RanUsagi


**04/08/2010 – **A different take on Featherlight. In Featherlight Aya (Ran) and Usagi met after the battle with Galaxia where he blamed her for not protecting the innocents from criminals. But here, after the fated battle at Galaxy Cauldron, as Sailor Moon wished for everything to be alright everything became alright. And Aya-chan awoke. And Ran was the only one who believed, that she heard a voice _'Please, let everything be alright' _Of course searching for the person who wished the world to be a better place is rather stupid, when you know only their voice. But when Aya-chan nearly faints, when she sees the girl with the same voice, asking for Hyacinths to give to a dearly close person, Ran decides that he would protect the girl from the shadows. Even if the idea is far-fetched and his comrades think he is crazy.

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**C a n d l e l i g h t**

**Prologue

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It was another busy day in the flower shop, after all the popularity of this shop was fueled by the fact that four very pretty males worked. But today there was a newcomer in the shop: a pretty girl with black shiny hair and blue-violet eyes. Soft-spoken and gentle she was, she was Aya-chan.

"Ken-kun, who is she and why is she working here?" needless to say that some of the admirers (most of whom were females) were not pleased at all. The girl, who spoke those words, was glaring at Aya-chan. The mentioned girl flushed and quickly got back to making bouquets. Her brother, a red-headed man with violet eyes glared at the not-customer girl, who dared to try embarrassing his sister.

Ken Hidaka, a brown-haired man with blue-green eyes, chuckled lightly, "She is Aya-san's younger sister," the expression on the haughty girl's face changed first to a calculating one, and then she grinned happily at Aya-chan and spoke: "Hi, so you're Aya-san's sister? What's your name? Let's become great friends!"

Aya, or Ran as he went by now, frowned at the girl who was gushing out nonsense to his sister. He knew what went through the brain of the girl at the moment: she was probably thinking that if she could become friends with his little sister, that she could take a bite of him. Growling angrily, he went back to his work, cutting off the thorns from the red roses. The girl still yapped and yapped. It was beginning to get on his nerves, so consumed by the aggravation, he didn't even notice that he gripped the rose by its thorns. And only when the blood started to flow, he absent-mindedly stared at the ruby red liquid, he was so used to seeing.

He didn't have to be an assassin anymore, right? Aya-chan was safe and that was all that mattered. Aya-chan awoke back then and it was all that mattered.

"You should be careful," admonished someone. The voice was soft and in contrast to the regular visitors wasn't sickly sweet. He glared at the person who dared to intrude on his inner mental rant and saw a girl about his sister's age, with long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"None of your business," the red-head bit out, thoroughly enjoying the embarrassed look on the girl's face. They were all the same. They came here, didn't buy anything, just blabbered and blabbered. If this one had more class than the others, she was probably just another one of these fans. Stupid girls.

"Well, excuse me for actually worrying about you," huffed the girl in annoyance, "since you are the less busy one, arrange me a bouquet of hyacinths," she spoke her eyes narrowed, obviously irritated at his rude response. Without speaking another word to her Aya stood up and made his way towards the pink hyacinths, thinking that a blonde like her would probably enjoy that color. Just like most girls did. Annoying girls.

"No, not the pink ones, choose the ones that are just like your eyes," he froze over, in his mind he was ready to pummel this another fan, "I want the bouquet to be just as sad as your eyes, because then it will have the needed amount of emotions I want to convey to the one, who needs this bouquet." Her voice was sad and melancholic and the irritation and anger which he felt towards most of the females in this room just simply drained away. Ran didn't know how it happened, but it just did. Without any other words he continued arranging the bouquet, as she quietly stood on the other side of the counter.

"Ran, you need any help?" he looked to the side, seeing his sister smiling brightly at him. Carefully he nodded to the blonde who was still standing there quietly, an indescribable look in her eyes, "Yes, go and charge her for this bouquet while I finish this one up."

The quiet sound of footsteps made its way to the counter.

"Hi, I am Aya-chan. This will be, umm… let me see… 2800 Yen."

"Alright, here you go." There was nothing in this conversation that was strange or out of the regular. Just the usual kind of customer service talk. His sister only whispered two words before promptly fainting.

"Your voice…"

And the all he heard was screaming from the annoying girls, and the blonde girl calling him over desperately, Ken and Yohji promptly screaming at everyone else to get out. His sister had fainted, and was lying on the cold floor, her eyes closed.

"Aya-chan, Aya-chan," whispered the red-head frantically shaking his sister, but no reply from her. For a moment she looked as if she was again in a coma. Someone else kneeled down beside him, and it was none of his colleagues, because no one of them wore skirts. Long blonde hair pooled on the ground beside Aya-chan, some strands mingling with Aya-chan's black hair. The girl clutched a brooch on her bow and in her eyes was a genuine feeling of concern for his sister. And perhaps for a moment Ran felt something else that irritation towards her.

"Wake up, are you alright?" begged the strange girl, and as if by her order, immediately Aya-chan's eyes fluttered open.

"I am so glad you are alright," smiled the strange girl and got up immediately. Aya-chan's lips moved, but no words came out, as she stared in wonder at the blonde. The girl took the bouquet, which he had been carefully arranging moments ago.

"I would stay more, just to make sure you are alright, but I am running short of time. The money is on the counter," she spoke gently, as she gazed at the violet flowers, longing in her eyes. "The bouquet is wonderful," and with a sway of her hair the girl was out.

"Aya-chan, are you okay? Should we call the doctor perhaps?" asked Yohji.

"You shouldn't have gotten to work so early, you should have recuperated more," chided Ran not so gently, Aya-chan was really not thinking of her own health. But instead of the usual pouting, Aya-chan still stared at the door, through which the blonde left moment ago and then turning back to him, surprise still evident in her eyes, she whispered, only to him:

"It was her. It was her voice I heard, it was her voice which awoke me."

And this brought back memories to the final fight a couple months ago when Aya-chan awoke finally. Back in the hospital her eyes finally opened. The doctors couldn't explain what happened. There had been no signs at all, signaling that soon she would awaken. Everything was just as it had been for the last two years.

"_I heard her voice. She was so sad. She was so much in pain. And she wished for everything to be alright."_

Needless to say that none of his team members believed the story of some being's voice resonating through her head. Even the doctors said that it could have been just a delusion. But what kind of a brother would Ran be if he didn't believe his own sister. So he took her words to his heart. Besides it wasn't that hard to believe. Crawford could foretell the future, Schuldich could read minds and Nagi had the power to move items with his mind. It wasn't that strange. They all knew of the strange monsters sometimes appearing and the Sailor Senshi who dealt with them. It wasn't that hard to believe that someone had awoken his sister. And back then he promised that should he ever find the one who awoke his sister, he would protect that person. Because that person returned the light to his life.

"Aya-chan, but that is silly, she couldn't have been that mighty being which willed you to awaken," spoke Yohji, "although she is certainly fit to be an angel."

"Omi," spoke up Ran suddenly, "look after Aya-chan," the youth nodded to him, slightly confused at his determined voice. And as soon as Aya-chan was in the hands of his comrade the red-head bolted out of the shop. He looked over the sea of people, searching for the blonde. Something golden flashed in the distance and he broke into a chase. He had to observe and decide whether Aya-chan was right, and this was the benevolent person who brought her back to reality.

And thus step by step he shadowed the blonde. It wasn't that hard to follow her at a safe distance, her blonde hair stood out in the masses of black and brown hair. Sometimes she paused and looked around as if having noticed him, but it wasn't impossible. A school girl: that much he could make out from her outfit, a white and blue sailor-type school uniform – wouldn't be able to notice him, a trained and seasoned assassin. She came to a halt in front of Tokyo Medical University and sat down at the benches in front of the entrance. Her demeanor was nervous: she was fidgeting, her eyes constantly shifted left and right and overall it seemed that the only thing she wanted was to stand up and run away. Her white hands gripped tightly the base of the delicate bouquet. His work was sure to be pointless in a short time, if she continued like that.

Finally students began pooling out of the building, and the crowd shielded her from his view. When the crowd dispersed she was not alone anymore. She was standing her head hung low, in front of her a man, a handsome man, with black hair and blue eyes. Her free hand was gripped tight into a fist, they were in the middle of some intense conversation. Suddenly she thrust out the bouquet.

_Violet hyacinths – for forgiveness…_

The man grabbed her shoulders and shook her not so gently, as something akin to desperation appeared on his voice. She just shook her head, yanking herself out of the grip and ran off the bouquet of the hyacinths was lying forgotten on the ground in front of the man, who was standing there with a lost look upon his face, as if the world had just crumbled from beneath his feet. For a second Ran felt as if he had seen something really intimate, something he was not supposed to see.

And that moment was enough for him to forget all about the girl he wanted to follow. When the mirage had surrendered its hold on him, both of them were gone and at the entrance of the university lie forgotten the bouquet. It was strange to him. Never since that incident had his emotions stirred. Never since that incident had he seen something that could have shaken him to the base of his being. And now he was confused: this was probably just a break-up, so why did he feel as if he had been a witness to something to important that it changed the future of the world. He felt as if he had witnessed a bond so ancient the sun and earth would envy it break into tiny pieces.

As if in a spell, he felt his legs walk up to the forgotten flower arrangement, and as if in a delusion he picked it up And on the violet flowers glistened drops of water, tears. And the sky broke down, as a torrent of rain fell down on Tokyo. And Ran could feel the sadness.

_Was this what you heard, Aya-chan? This never-ending misery?

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_Mamo-chan, you must hate me now. Don't you? I was the one who called it quits… you have to hate me, and instead of explaining, I just ran off and left without explaining anything. But how can I explain that I feel that I am trapping you all into a destiny and loneliness, into a story that has been written out and has a definite ending. How can I force you into a future where in the end you will all die only to offer me the ultimate power?_

_I cannot. This is why… this is why I had to do this. It pains me more than anything else. But I had to make this wish. My only regret is that you feel this pain just as much as I do. It's cruel. But I had to shatter the bond we shared since that joyful time in the Silver Millennium, I had to do it. I had to free you from this. The Senshi don't share the same bond with me, this time we have a bond of friendship. But it is through our bond that this cruel fate would have eventually happened._

_I am not Princess Serenity anymore, the one that would have given anything for our love, not caring for the future, just to be together. This time… I am also a warrior, and a warrior's duty is to protect. And if protecting you would mean that I would have to leave you and our future behind, so that you could be free, then I shall do it._

_Selene knows, I shall never be free of my destiny. But the least I can do is to grant you all the future you want. It will pain me to see you all leave me behind with time, but I will continue smiling, so that none of your may notice my own pain. I must protect you all. This time I will do it correctly._

_No longer shall I let you down. The violet hyacinths – for forgiveness – for that I beg you, I want you to understand, but if I explain my reasoning to you, my dear friends, my love, then you will tell me not to worry, that together we will be able to change the future. But not that one._

_I met her. I remember Chibi-Chibi. I always wondered why she didn't want to speak, why her eyes were so sad (no child should ever have these eyes). And only in the end I found out. That was me from a faraway future. The future where everyone died giving me their starseeds, never to be reborn again. That is a future I do not wish to happen._

_Tomorrow, I'll have to face you, my dear Senshi, and no doubt you will already know what I have done today... _

_I am scared of facing you… I'm scared that you will see me for the coward I am, I'm scared that you'll see me through, and still stay by my side. I want you to be always by my side, but if the price is so high, then I'd rather see you away from me, safe and sound. But away from me…_

_Mamo-chan… I miss you already… I don't feel you anymore… Mamo-chan… but I'll stay strong for your survival…

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**End Prologue

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**04/08/2010 – **As promised here you go. Candlelight, a different take on Featherlight. Also an eventual Ran/Usagi pairing. The story won't be very long, only perhaps three-four chapters. Between each of the chapters there will be a span of couple months. Review if you liked this.


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